182 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



has been used by a number of States, chiefly in the south. 

 Under this system a nurseryman desiring to send nursery 

 stock into a State using this system must deposit with the 

 inspector of that State a copy of his official certificate of 

 inspection and purchase tags to attach to his shipments if 

 the certificate is acceptable. The principle involved is, of 

 course, that the official certificate shows that the nursery 

 concerned is in a satisfactory condition, and that no danger- 

 ous pests or diseases have been found. 



Doubt as to the value of this plan was first raised in the 

 mind of the inspector some years ago by the remark to him 

 of another State Inspector, that, " We care far less what 

 leaves the State than what enters it," and the tag system was 

 inserted in the Massachusetts law in spite of some opposition 

 on his part. 



Until the fall of 1911 lack of funds prevented any exam- 

 ination of stock entering the State under the tag system, but 

 that year it was found possible to give some attention to this 

 side of the work, and the results fully justified his opinion. 

 Of the 13 shipments first examined, 11 were found to be in 

 such a condition that they could not be accepted, and if found 

 in Massachusetts nurseries would not have been tolerated for 

 a moment. These shipments were either returned to the 

 shipper at his expense or were destroyed, and the most sug- 

 gestive fact resulting was that later consignments from the 

 same shippers were in excellent condition. The only con- 

 clusion which can be drawn from this is that so long as 

 some nurserymen, at least, believe that what they send out 

 will not be examined, they are willing to sell stock only 

 worth putting on the brush heap, reserving their good stock 

 for places where they know it will be examined. 



Under these conditions it is evident that the tag system 

 cannot be depended upon, and the new law has eliminated 

 it. The States of ISTew York and California have for several 

 years taken the position that the only way to protect their 

 citizens from poor nursery stock is to inspect it upon its 

 receipt and after a careful investigation of the results of 

 this method it was made a part of the Massachusetts law. 

 Hereafter no certificate or other statement will be required 



